Biopolymer-based Smart Seed Coating Technology

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research (ICAR-IIOR), Hyderabad, has developed an innovative biopolymer-based Smart Seed Coating Technology.

• As per ICAR-IIOR, the technology significantly improves seed quality, crop establishment, and resistance to environmental stresses.

• Since seed quality plays a critical role in determining crop productivity, enhancing seed performance during the early growth stages has emerged as a cost-effective strategy for improving farm output.

Key Features

• The Smart Seed Coating Technology uses biodegradable biopolymers to form a multifunctional protective layer around seeds.

• This coating acts as a delivery platform for beneficial microorganisms, nutrients, micronutrients, crop protection agents, and plant growth-promoting compounds, ensuring targeted support at the seed-soil interface.

• The technology creates a favourable microenvironment that promotes faster germination, stronger seedling growth, better root development, and enhanced tolerance to both biotic and abiotic stresses during the crucial crop establishment phase.

• Multi-location trials under the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP)-Seed covering soybean, maize, groundnut, chickpea, cotton, mustard, and pigeon pea reported productivity gains ranging from 12 to 37 percent over untreated seeds, alongside improved seedling vigour and crop establishment.

• Unlike conventional seed treatments that typically address a single issue, the ICAR-IIOR platform integrates multiple beneficial inputs into one seed treatment.

• The technology can be customised for cereals, millets, pulses, oilseeds, fibre crops, fodder crops, vegetables, spices, and horticultural crops, making it suitable for diverse farming systems across the country. Hindi translation in news format with subheads

Source: DD

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